Tuesday, September 30, 2014

While fall temps have already hit the majority of America, Arizona is the anomaly. Last week marked the calendar "First Day of Fall," and I was reminded of it every time I went onto my social media. As I mindlessly looked through my Instagram feed it was filled with people wearing their scarves, layers, jackets, and even sipping hot Starbucks pumpkin spiced lattes! I can't even stand the thought of drinking something without ice cubes. I was in complete season envy!

Thinking that temps would never drop below 90 degrees, a Christmas miracle came true! Right as I walked outside this morning, I had a surprising chill cause goose bumps to emerge. Goose bumps? I need a jacket? I quickly turn to my weather app to see if the temperature drop was true. I had to blink a couple a times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. It was true! the temp was 67 degrees! Finally!!! I have been waiting for this moment for months.

Let me walk you through a typical Sunday of mine. I wake up early to go running, and then immediately start getting ready for 9 am church. I do my makeup and hair first, and the next thing I know I have ten minutes left until I'm officially late. Couple burn marks later from rushing my curls, I run to my closet. With anxiety running high, I immediately draw a fashion blank! With the clock ticking I immediately grab something that goes with everything...CHAMBRAY! The ultimate girl in a hurry staple. I quickly paired it with a newly tailored skirt, and I was ready for church.It's all about having those key staples in your wardrobe for any type of fashion emergency, and arriving on time to church...sometimes.....

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

As a Pure Barre teacher I get asked "What should I expect for my first class?" Pure Barre is one of the most unique workouts I have ever done, and is definitely the most effective. Pure Barre is a full body low impact workout targeting trouble areas such as stomach, thighs, seat, arms, and hips.

This workout uses small isometric movements to target, and isolate muscles to build that long lean dancer muscle. Many think that you need a dance background to understand the technique, but in actuality all you need is a good attitude! Carrie Rezabek Dorr the founder of Pure Barre once said "If you can hold onto the barre, you can do this."

Here are a couple tips that can help you become a professional LTBer (Lift. Tone. Burn).

1. What do I wear?
During class you work out a specific muscle group to the point of fatigue, then we stretch it out to lean out the muscles. During the stretches you want to keep your body warm to prevent tearing of the muscle. Wear tops that cover the midriff, socks, and either pants or capris (absolutely no shorts). Sticky PB socks are sold in studios. (I promise we didn't mean to match our socks ;) )

2. What do I need to grab?

Once you walk into the studio grab 2 pairs of weights (lighter and heavier pair), tube, and a ball (not shown). Make sure that you also bring water with you to drink during class. Since we sweat a lot during class it's very important to keep yourself hydrated.

3. Modifications
Before class the instructor will introduce themselves to you, and ask you a series of questions such as "Do you have any injuries?" The instructor will then go through the specific modifications for the injury, and check on you during class ;) There are also many modifications for those that are pregnant.

4. Tuck
The main word you'll hear continuously throughout class is the word "tuck." A tuck is pulling in of your abs toward your spine while simultaneously dropping and rolling forward your tailbone. Think pulling your hipbones up to your ribcage. You want to keep your hips tucked all through class so that you have that flat neutral spine, and preventing pressure into the lower back.

5. Listen
As a teacher, I don't actually do the workout with you. I set you up, then walk around class to perform hands on corrections. Listening is key to understanding what you are doing, what muscles are being targeted, and the transitions in the choreo. The movements are also so small to see that it's hard to watch someone else during the workout.

6. Contraction / Small Movements
Class is essentially a constant contraction. By keeping the movement in the tight contractions, and small movement you are able to isolate/target muscle groups. The contraction causes the deep burn in the muscle, and the small movements is smart for the joints.

7. Hands On Corrections

As a teacher my job is the circulate the room, and perform hands on corrections. I do this because a) it helps clients get in the correct form, b) help prevent injury, and c) give the clients that extra push to work harder.

8. Embrace the Shake
When the muscle starts to shake it's your body letting you know that great changes are happening. Your muscle is reaching the point of fatigue, and then we stretch it out to build the lean muscle. Get the most out of your workout by embracing the shake!

9. Results
You'll see results within your first 10 classes (3-4 a week). At first I do recommend measuring yourself with a tape measure to see the inches melt right off.

10. Most Important...Have Fun This is Your Hour
This is your hour to clear the mind, and focus in on yourself. It doesn't matter if the person next to you can lift their heels higher, you are your own competitor. Listen to your body, and respect where you are at. Have fun!!!!!

For the past month, life has been filled with big changes. Killed my car, got a new car, baby Reagan was born, Todd starting his second year in dental school. and I got a new job. After a year of working at Nordstrom I decided it was time for me to move on. While it was fun building up my cliental, I decided I needed a better schedule that would be more conducive to spending time with my family, and actively pursuing my many passions. I started my new job last week, and the hours work perfect for having a life outside of work. While the start of the month was mentally draining on me, life rebounded quickly with seeing my family, birth of baba-gurl, and this new job.

Today I have the pleasure of co-hosting my first link up with Christina from the blog Posh Pair. Fall is here, and the department stores are filling up with one of my favorite things....LEATHER! When I moved to AZ last year, I lived in my leather jacket. While the temps are still in the 90s (hardly jacket season), I primarily live in an 70 degree air conditioned environment, and can pull off wearing a jacket indoors. The dress I have on is light enough that when I go outside, I can ditch the jacket, and live kind of comfortably : / While in my mind I know that it should be sweater weather, I stare a my boxes filled with my fall apparel, and can't bare to pull them out. In order to stay on fall trend, I opt for light weight pieces that I can layer.

Join our link-up and show us how you style LEATHER! It's the perfect opportunity to showcase your style, discover new blogs, meet other life & style bloggers, and maybe even land a few new followers. Remember, for a chance to be featured on our blogs in next Wednesday's link-up we ask that you do 3 simple things:

See ya tomorrow for a fun Wednesday special! Stay tuned this week for a feature on a fun new "quirky" company ;)

Petite Review: I got this skirt in a 00 petite, and had it taken in at the waist/hip region. My tailor said that the skirt is meant to sit lower on the hip, but I wanted to alter it to hit me either around or slightly below my naval.